For decades, the Legislature, governor and public school officials have not hashed out a funding formula to meet the obligation to educate students.

Likewise, the federal and state judiciary have been reluctant to establish a definition whenever a lawsuit has arisen over Pennsylvania's vague constitutional language.

That ambiguity is expected to go on trial this week in a federal lawsuit that has become Pennsylvania's largest equal education funding complaint in decades.

The lawsuit, in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, pits the near-bankrupt urban school district of Chester Upland, with its students and parents, against the state Department of Education, Education Secretary Ron Tomalis and Gov. Tom Corbett.

The lawsuit claims the state has "failed to maintain a thorough and efficient school system" by not properly funding the Delaware County school district and mismanaging it while the district was under state control between 1994 and 2010.

That failure, the lawsuit claims, has been exacerbated by a $23 million loss from Corbett's 2011-12 education spending cuts and the 1997 charter school law that over-funds charters for special education at the expense of traditional schools.

The state is denying the claims and says the court has no right to interpret the state constitution's meaning of "thorough and efficient." The state says Chester Upland's lawsuit is "nothing more than a state law demand for money."

The rest of today's news starts, as ever, after the jump.

Pennsylvania's Jobless Rate ... ... maybe be falling, but state officials say they're still fighting unemployment compensation fraud, our pal Mary Wilson of WITF-FM in Harrisburg, reports this morning. Officials at the state Department of Labor & Industry find the fraud by checking a database of newly-hired people in the state to see if any of the names match those on UC claims. “This would be for people who become employed and then fail to report to [the Department of Labor & Industry] that they got a job, and they continue to collect unemployment benefits -- which is our biggest contributing factor to overpayments,” Jim Tillman, who heads up the department’s Office of Integrity, tells the station. He said 44 percent of overpayments last year went to people collecting UC while they had jobs.

The Architect Of Prison Reform ... ... in Texas is lending a hand in Pennsylvania to cut costs at the Department of Corrections, the Patriot-News reports this morning. The expert, Tony Fabelo, said his four-month in-depth analysis was the fastest he’d ever done. Gov. Tom Corbett asked him to accelerate the normal process to have policy recommendations by the end of May. “What we have promised to do, we have done,” Fabelo said.

Our Colleague John Baer ... ... of the Philly Daily News takes a look at the coming debate over the state budget and concludes thus:"Expect predictable posturing, Capitol rallies and protests, but really not much of a battle, and, barring any unforeseens, on-time if not early passage of another no-tax budget. "For two main reasons: The GOP-controlled Senate plans to vote on a spending bill this week, and it’s an election year with all the House and half the Senate facing voters, so there’ll be minimal controversy. The way incumbents stay incumbents is by lying low; legislative leaders help by running things smoothly." Ahhh ... democracy.

Battleground State? What Battleground State? Our Washington colleague Colby Itkowitzsurveys the presidential landscape in Pennsylvania and finds it may not be much of a player in 2012. Not yet -- anyway. The state hasn't picked a Republican in more than two decades, eroding its bellwether status and triggering debate about its value in the anticipated Barack Obama-Mitt Romney matchup. The early actions of the campaigns and outside groups supporting them suggest Pennsylvania may not rise to the top tier of target states, as the hardest fought battles play out in the places that have flipped between Democrat and Republican in recent cycles.Obama is building his defense — opening 22 campaign offices across Pennsylvania. He can't retain the Oval Office, under most circumstances, without a win in the state. But Romney doesn't need to carry Pennsylvania to win.

What Goes On. There's a full slate of events on the docket. Hope you're ready to do some running. At 10 a.m., supporters of House Bill 1776 (geddit?), which eliminates property taxes by raising sales taxes, rally in the Main Rotunda. Also at 10 a.m., in the East Rotunda, it's "Celebrate Older Americans Day." But they'll do it slowly and yell at the kids to get off their lawn, At 11 a.m., back in the Main Rotunda, the folks at PA Cares for All rally to restore welfare cuts in the budget. At noon, in the Main Rotunda, the motorcycle group ABATE rallies for ... motorcycles? We're not entirely clear on this. At noon at the Capitol Fountain, the FOP rallies for fallen police officers. At 1 p.m., also in the Main Rotunda, groups rally against anti-immigration bills. And at 2 p.m., in Hearing Room One of the North Office Building, the Legislative Reapportionment Commission continues its public hearing on the new maps.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition). State Rep. John Sabatina holds a lunchtime reception at McGrath's Pub in Harrisburg. Admission runs $250 to $1,000. Bring both your appetites and a healthy bank balance.House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, holds a "Backyard BBQ" in the homey confines of the Harrisburg Hilton at 11:30 a.m. Admission is a flat $500.

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept. Best wishes go out this morning to readers Tracy Wingenroth of Lancaster; Brian O'Connor Latrobe; David Ross of Harrisburg and Mary Shaw of Philadelphia. Congratulations, you lot.

On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning. Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of the late Go-Betweens singer/songwriter Grant McLennan. Although mostly a cult figure, he was responsible for some of the most gorgeous pop music of the last 25 years -- both as a solo artist and as a member of the Aussie guitar band. And he was a personal hero of mine as well. Here's McLennan (that's him on the right) and Go-Betweens partner Robert Forster doing "Bachelor Kisses" from the classic Go-Betweens LP "Spring Hill Fair."